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Matchday 29 - Big stories

vor 2 Stunden

Borussia Dortmund put three past Paderborn on Saturday afternoon to close the gap on the European spots and begin Jürgen Klopp's farewell tour in fine fashionInjury-hit Bayern bounced back from European misery in Portugal on Wednesday with a workmanlike 2-0 victory away to TSG 1899 HoffenheimMeanwhile, Bayer 04 Leverkusen moved into an automatic UEFA Champions League qualifying spot by brushing aside Hannover 96

Cologne - A big step for FC Bayern München, a potentially giant leap for FC Augsburg and a triumphant start to his farewell tour for Borussia Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp.

bundesliga.com rounds up the five biggest stories to have emerged from another action-packed week in Germany's top-flight...

It had been dubbed the first of six gigs on the Jürgen Klopp farewell tour, and the sold-out crowd certainly loved it. The Signal Iduna Park was packed to the rafters as Borussia Dortmund's stayed patient to earn a 3-0 victory over struggling SC Paderborn 07. Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa lifted Klopp's troops closer to the European spots, which, after a season of toil, would represent the best possible send-off for the legendary tactician.

The men from Bavaria took another big step on the road to the title this week with a 2-0 win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday. Moreover, VfL Wolfsburg's 1-1 draw with FC Schalke 04 on Sunday evening means that if they can beat Hertha Berlin next week, Bayern will, practically if not mathematically, be Bundesliga champions for a 24th time. If they can better the Wolves' result at Borussia Mönchengladbach, glory will be statistically confirmed next weekend.

Spurred on by Borussia Mönchengladbach's draw on Friday night, Bayer 04 Leverkusen were in seventh heaven after Matchday 29 as they made it seven straight Bundesliga wins by beating Hannover 96 4-0 to go third. Needing to win by two to go ahead, they grabbed four to boost their goal difference, meaning Roger Schmidt's men now lead the way into the final five games of the season with a place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League on offer for the winner of this particular contest.

Thanks to a 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart on Saturday evening, FC Augsburg can now really start considering a first tilt at European football next term. With Hoffenheim losing to Bayern, the Bavarians now have four points of daylight between themselves and the chasing pack with five games to go. "This was an incredibly important win for us," said coach Markus Weinzierl, who only days before had banned the words 'Europa League' from the players' vocabulary. It is now back on the tip of their tongues.

The relegation battle remains as gripping as ever after defeats for the division's bottom five teams this week. SC Freiburg lost to 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday, but are still 14th and remain best placed to climb out of trouble, but Hannover - - are in free fall, while it's as you were for the bottom three. VfB Stuttgart host Freiburg in a veritable six-pointer next weekend, but with fives games remaining, all the evidence points to this race being decided on the season's final day.

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